One Day At A Time (Part Two) free porn video

One Day at a Time (Part 2) By Lost "Allison, hurry up or you're going to miss the bus!" yelled his stepmother. "I'm coming, give me a second!" Mark was rushing to get ready, but he'd greatly underestimated the time it took to get prepared. He used to be able to get up and leave in ten minutes, but now he'd taken three times that and he still wasn't set! The main problems were from the makeup and his hair. While he would have preferred to just not worry about it, he knew that if he slipped up in his disguise, he might end up running from the Mafia again, and after the last two close calls it was something he wasn't willing to risk. He adjusted his skirt, cursing under his breath. His stepmother had insisted that he wear the skirt on his first day at the new school, and had also insisted that he wear the new earrings she had bought him. She wanted her daughter to look nice on her first day, she'd said. Unfortunately, Mark wasn't her daughter, and he hated the clothes he was wearing. He glanced in the mirror one last time, unsettled by the picture he saw. There stood a young girl, between twelve and fourteen years of age. Her face was augmented by a light red lipstick and a tad of eyeliner and blush. She had shoulder length red hair with long bangs brushed to the side that complimented her green eyes. Neither feature was real; the long red hair came from extensions and dye while and the eyes were colored by contacts, but at least they made it harder for anyone to recognize him. Even Mark had trouble finding his face in the reflected image. The girl in the mirror was wearing a short jean skirt, a bit more above the knee than he was comfortable with. It was the shortest skirt yet that Mark had worn and he hadn't donned the item without a fight. Unfortunately, Diane had a way of using guilt to get her way from him, and he'd finally relented when she pointed out that it was Canadian custom to dress nicely on the first day of school. She'd also agreed to buy him another game for his Nintendo DS, which had sealed the deal. It was just one day, right? The next item he was wearing was a white tank top, which was another first for him. He'd been worried that the top might expose his breasts, or rather the lack thereof; his stepmother had tossed that concern aside with a wave of her hand, claiming that the neckline wasn't low enough to show anything and the padded bra would do the rest. Still, he didn't like how it left his arms bare. It was so... feminine. To finish the outfit, the girl in the mirror was wearing a pair of sandals with an inch and a half heel. That had taken some getting used to, but he'd managed to figure out how to walk in them without breaking his neck. The sandals emphasized the girl's painted toenails, which were the same light red color as her lips and fingernails. In Mark's mind, she was breathtaking. Unfortunately, that was the last thing he wanted to be. Mark frowned. How had he gone from being the All-American Boy to a Canadian schoolgirl, and in such a short time? He didn't know, but his sudden weight loss had contributed to the vision in front of him. He'd lost weight in the hospital, but more troubling was how he'd dropped another seven pounds in the week afterwards, and was down from 112 to 91. His stepmother had assured him that his new weight was normal for girls his age, though she refused to listen when he complained that he wasn't a girl his age; he was a boy almost a year older. "Allison, come on! There's no time for breakfast anymore and the bus is coming around the corner!" yelled Diane. Cursing, he grabbed his new school bag, loaded with notebooks and folders. It was pink and white and had a yellow star on the front. He hated it, but he hadn't had much choice, as he hadn't accompanied his stepmother school shopping. He dashed for the door, nearly tripping in his heels as he ran out to meet the bus. Fortunately he hadn't missed it, and he walked in and sat down in an empty seat. Once he'd gotten seated, the bus took off towards its next stop on its way to the Riverside Community Junior High School. The girl across the aisle glanced his direction. Feeling uncomfortable at her eye contact, he looked down, but she smiled. "Hi, you new here?" Mark turned back and regarded her. She was a young Native American girl with pretty black hair and matching dark eyes. Mark nodded. "Yeah. My mom just moved us here from the States." The girl held out her hand. "I'm Kellie. What year are you going into?" Mark shook the offered hand. "Allison." He'd introduced himself as Allison a few times before, but the name still made him feel ill. "I'm going into the eighth grade." Kellie smiled. "I'm also going into grade eight. Do you need any help finding your classes?" "I would appreciate that, but I don't want to cause you any trouble." Kellie smiled. "It's okay, and I don't mind. My mom's a teacher there so I get a little leeway when I've got a good excuse. Do you have your schedule with you?" Mark dug into his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to the girl. "Oh, we're in homeroom together, so that should be easy. Mrs. Jenkins, Algebra I. It's rough having Math so early in the morning, but at least then it's over with!" She glanced at the sheet again. "Oh, you've got my mom for Biology, Mrs. Mukash. She's an okay teacher, but she can be strict to troublemakers." She smiled. "Which means she's generally pretty strict on me, too." Kellie looked back at the paper. "Oh, we're also together for P.E. Mr. Walters." The other girl made a frown. "I really don't care for him; he's loud and kind of creepy." At those words, Mark felt a sudden sinking feeling. He hadn't realized he'd have to take Gym as a girl, too. Kellie noticed his discomfort. "Are you okay, Allison?" she asked, concerned. "Yeah, I'm okay." He decided to change the subject. "So, what's it like having your mom as a teacher at your school?" Kellie laughed. "It's okay, just so long as I'm not in her class. Like I said, she can be strict on troublemakers." The two kids had a laugh at this. "But yeah," she continued, "it can be nice at times. Sometimes she gives me a ride in, though usually she has to be in earlier than I do so I take the bus." Kellie handed Mark back his schedule, which he accepted. "Where were you from, Allison?" Mark hesitated. He wasn't sure if his birthplace or last residence had been changed in Patty's papers. Saying anything specific could wind up getting him caught in a lie later. "Just some stupid American city. I'm not too fond of my hometown, lots of bad memories there." That wasn't true; he loved his home, but he didn't know how to justify not giving a name otherwise. He really didn't want to talk about "home," wherever that was supposed to be. Kellie seemed to notice. "Oh. How do you like Saskatchewan and Prince Albert so far?" she asked instead. "It's nice," he said. "The people are friendly, and our new house is really nice too." "Yeah, I like living here, too. Of course, I'm not an impartial judge, since I was born here, but hey, it's a great city! You been to the mall yet?" Mark nodded. "Yeah, I bought most of my clothes there. We had to leave a lot of my old stuff behind." Kellie smiled. "Must have been nice to have a good excuse to go shopping! Is that where you bought that skirt and tank top? They look really nice." Uncomfortably, Mark shifted in his seat a little. "Thanks. Yeah, I got them there." He saw that Kellie had noticed his squirming. "I'm sorry; I'm just uncomfortable wearing them, especially on my first day here. I've always been sort of a tomboy, and this outfit's not what I'd feel comfortable wearing on my first day." "Yeah, I understand. My older sister Kim went through a stage like that, too. Don't worry though, you do look really nice." They continued talking for ten minutes until the bus arrived at the school. At times, Mark realized he must have been boring the girl, but Kellie didn't seem to mind. She was so outgoing that the two quickly became friends, and Mark finally started to get over his sudden shyness and opened up. Still, by the time they arrived at school, Mark was extremely frustrated. He'd been an outgoing guy back at his old school, so why was he so shy now? Further adding to his troubles was being so close to a cute girl and being unable to do anything about it. Kellie showed him the way to their first class and he took a desk next to her. The teacher silently passed Mark a book and a sheet of paper detailing the grading scale. A few minutes later, the bell rang and the teacher walked to the front of the classroom. Mrs. Jenkins was a younger teacher. She was short with short blonde hair. "Good morning, class. We've got a new student today, Allison Collins, from Oregon." "Hi," said Mark quietly. At least now he knew where he was supposed to be from. He was actually from northern California, but he knew enough about the state that he felt he could fake residence in Oregon. With that, the teacher turned her attention to the board. "Please turn to page fifty seven in your books..." she began. The class proved easy for Mark, as he'd learned the subject last year. He'd been surprised to learn that he'd been placed a year behind, given his new "age." That was a major drawback at losing ten months. Of course, all the drawbacks associated with this age loss were major in his mind; there weren't any minor drawbacks. And if there weren't any minor drawbacks, there certainly weren't any advantages. Still, he figured he might as well enjoy the easier classes. After class, Kellie pointed him in the direction of his next classroom, English. There he ran into James and Alan, two boys he'd met in the park. They waved him over and he took a seat. "Hey, Allison, how's your first day going?" asked James. "Okay so far. It's a little hard to get used to, though; I had a bit of time off between moves and it's not fun coming back to school." Alan laughed. "That must have been nice to have that time off! Unfortunately, now you've got to sit through Mr. Johnson's class. I can't stand English, it's so boring!" "Except for his accent," added James. "He's a Newfie, he's hilarious to listen to!" "A Newfie?" questioned Mark. "A Newfoundlander." Just then, the bell rang, but Mark asked, "Why are Newfies funny to listen to?" "Eh, quiet now. Class is started, righ', so let's get goin', b'y." Mark was taken off guard and couldn't help but let out a laugh, which got the entire class to follow in his lead. The teacher paused. "Ahrigh', what's so funny, eh? So I'm from Newfunland, might I add dat you've got an accent too, Miss Collins?" Mark immediately apologized, and the lesson began. The teacher seemed used to students mocking his accent, but he still seemed a bit annoyed. Still, Mark found it ironic that the person that was supposed to be teaching him English was speaking worse English than he did. Mark sat through the lesson silently until the bell rang. As the class was dismissed, James and Alan broke out laughing. "Geeze, Allison, nice job getting on his good side. And on your first day! I'm proud of you, boy!" spoke Alan. Mark froze. "What did you say?" he asked Alan. "I said ?boy.' Didn't you hear him? Boy this, boy that, it's how some Newfies talk." James shook his head. "No, if you're going to say it, say it right! It's ?b'y dis, b'y dat! It's sorta like how Americans think Canadians always end their sentences with eh, eh?" Mark relaxed. For a moment, he'd thought he'd been found out. He sighed, relieved. "Of course, it's a bit of a stereotype," continued James. "There've been pushes toward proper English in the last few decades back there, but Mr. Johnson lived in Newfoundland for over fifty years before transfering here. Old habits die hard." He smiled, and they seperated towards their next classes. It turned out that he shared his next class, History, with James, so he followed the boy there. Afterwards, he had Art with Michelle. He was extremely glad to have met James and his friends the previous week, as he would have felt completely lost otherwise. Mark followed Michelle out from the Art room. He'd actually enjoyed the class a little, as it gave him a chance to express himself; something he was unfortunately unable to do much of at all lately. As Michelle and Mark walked into the cafeteria, they spotted James and Alan sitting at a table. "Hey, what's up?" asked James as Mark and Michelle sat down. "Not much," said Michelle, "Allison and I just got done with Art. She's pretty good, Mrs. Willis was impressed." "Really?" exclaimed Alan. "That old bag is hardly ever impressed by anything. Well, except shiny objects." They all laughed. "I'm not really that good," confessed Mark. "I'm just the new student and she was being nice." Changing the subject, he asked, "What's for lunch today?" "Looks like the choices for today are grilled cheese sandwiches, chili, or pizza." Michelle frowned. "I hope they get off their asses and open the lunch lines, they're running late today..." She glanced over at the counter and corrected herself, "Oh, never mind! It looks like they're starting now. Come on, guys." Suddenly, Mark realized that he didn't have any money with him. "Uh, you guys go ahead, I'm not very hungry." James frowned. "Uh, you sure, Allison?" "Yeah, I'll be okay." Michelle remained unconvinced, "You're not on some sort of a crash diet, are you? 'Cause if you are, you don't need it." Mark wondered if she'd noticed his sudden weight loss over the past week. "No, I'm not. Just not hungry," he said, hoping they'd drop the subject. "That's not what your stomach was saying during Art class," pressed Michelle. She was being strangely confrontational. "So what is it?" James and Alan stood back, not sure whether to get involved. "Well..." began Mark. Embarrassed, he blushed red. "I guess I just forgot to get some money from my mom before I left, I was in kind of a hurry." At that, Michelle smiled. "Well, why didn't you say so?" She dug into pockets and pulled out a couple coins and a crisp bill and handed them to Mark. "Here, you can pay me back later. Just let us know next time, friends don't let friends starve!" Mark was grateful for the money, but even more pleased that she considered him a friend after only knowing him for a few days. "Thanks, Michelle, I appreciate it." Mark followed his friends up to the counter and they got in line for their food. Mark paid the cashier and then handed Michelle the change. "I'm sorry if I got on your case, but one of my old friends had anorexia pretty bad. She wound up getting sick, and then she got stuck in a foster home. I just didn't want to repeat that with you." "That's terrible! I'm sorry! Thanks for caring enough to confront me on that." The rest of lunch went without event, aside from being forced to listen to Alan's terrible jokes. Afterwards, Mark headed off to find the Biology room and located it without difficulty. He soon found himself absorbed in Mrs. Mukash's lecture. Biology was really interesting when you had a good teacher, he realized. It seemed that as soon as he'd entered the classroom, the bell had rung for the next class. He arrived in the Gymnasium early and the teacher waved him over. After introducing himself, Mr. Walters assigned Mark a locker and gave him a sheet of paper with a list of required gym materials. "Be sure to have a set of Gym clothes tomorrow or you'll have to sit out and take an F for the day. As it is, we're just starting a new unit and we're going over the rules today." Mark promised to have the clothes and folded the note and was about to put it in his pocket before he realized he didn't have any. Frowning, he walked over to his school bag and deposited it. Another reason to hate skirts, he thought to himself crossly. By now, kids were piling into the gym and he spotted Kellie sitting down on the bleachers. She noticed him and waved him over, and he sat down beside her. "Hi again!" she said. "How're things going so far?" "Okay," admitted Mark. "Had class with your mom, she seems to be alright." Kellie laughed. "Yeah, I guess she is, but then, you don't live with her!" Just then the bell rang, and Mr. Walters began teaching them the rules of tennis, as well as some of the history of the gane. It was an incredibly boring lecture, as Mark had absolutely no interest in the sport. Fortunately, Kellie was there to talk to when Mr. Walters' back was turned, and the class went much faster. After he'd gone over the rules, Mr. Walters wheeled out a television and made them watch a video on tennis. The other students groaned as they saw the television approaching, and while it was extremely boring, the distraction of the video made it easier to converse and soon the class was over. He said goodbye to the girl and made his way to the library for his last class of the day, Study Hall, where he was expected to remain quiet for fifty minutes and do his homework. Time dragged on slowly, but eventually the bell rang and he headed out to wait for the bus. He took an empty seat, and shortly afterwards, Kellie sat next to him. They talked idly for a few minutes, until Mark noticed that she kept glancing towards the front of the bus. When Kellie saw that he'd noticed, she smiled. "You see that boy up there, with the brown hair and the red baseball cap?" Mark nodded. "Don't you think he's so cute!?" "Uh, sure," he lied. Cute was the last word he'd use to describe any guy, but he couldn't let Kellie know that. "I wish he'd ask me out, but he's dating Shelly Princeton right now, and she's a total bitch!" She smiled. "Oh well. I just broke up with my boyfriend a week ago, so I guess I'm a bit bitter about the dating scene right now. Shelly's reallynot that bad, I guess." She regarded Mark with a grin. "How about you? You got anything steamy going on back home?" Mark shook his head quickly. "N-no, nothing like that. I haven't really had any boyfriends." "That's because you're so shy! You're so pretty, too; you just need to open up more!" Her face lit up. "If you want, I can set you up with one of my friends!" "Thanks for offering, but that's okay. I'm just settling in as it is." Kellie smiled. "Your loss. I could have set you up with Brenton Phillips, he's a nice guy and he's got a great looking tush!" Mark quickly changed the subject, and they talked about the teachers for the rest of the ride home. By the time he got off the bus, he was exhausted. He liked Kellie, but he definitely didn't share the same enthusiasm for boys that she did. Mark gave his stepmother the note from gym, and she agreed to pick up the items for him. Since he'd already finished his homework in study hall, he asked if she'd drive him over to the park when she went to get the clothes, and she agreed. He spent the rest of the day before supper playing street hockey with James and his friends, and he paid Michelle back for her loan during lunch. Afterwards, Diane arrived to take him home for supper. He ate and then played his Nintendo. When he collapsed on the bed, he was exhausted. Mark had made sure to set the alarm an hour earlier than normal and woke up at 5:15. As he stepped into the shower, he noticed that his chest seemed sort of puffy, and his areolae seemed a little bigger. This disturbed him greatly until he remembered that Doctor Sharpe had said he was have some minor changes as his body adapted to his new hormone levels, and that they'd go away on their own. After his shower, he dried and combed his hair and then got dressed in a pair of jeans with a plain red T-shirt. He headed downstairs and ate breakfast. His stepmother frowned when she saw him. "I wish you'd wear something more feminine, Allison. You looked so nice in that outfit, yesterday." Mark glared at her. "You DO realize that I'm a boy, don't you?" Lately, she seemed to be getting worse. She hadn't called him by his real name since they'd arrived in Prince Albert. He wondered what was going on in her mind, and if she was capable of slipping into a relapse. "You mustn't talk like that, Allison. We never know who might be listening!" Diane glanced at the clock. "You've still got plenty of time before the bus gets here if you want to change, or maybe you want to shave your legs again today?" Mark left the room. Shaving his legs was not a procedure he wanted to repeat. Over the past few days he'd begun to feel uncomfortable around his stepmother, especially when he'd practically forced him to wear the previous day's outfit to school. She hadn't relented until he gave in. What was her preoccupation with him looking "nice?" Even dressed as he was, he could see almost no sign of the boy he was, and no one at school had suspected a thing. Maybe she got a perverted pleasure out of seeing him suffer. Mark sat on the couch and played his Nintendo until the bus arrived half an hour later. He found a seat next to Kellie and they talked the entire time. Mark found himself opening up with the girl, and the beginnings of a strong friendship were starting to form. Most of the day went uneventful. He sat with James, Alan, and Michelle again, and a light-haired girl named Nancy joined them. Apparently, she'd been out of school with the chicken pox the past week. She was a nice girl, and she and Mark hit it off immediately. After lunch, Biology flew by and then it was Gym class. Mark rushed to his locker and arrived before the rest of the class. He felt very uncomfortable in the girl's locker room, but he was thankful that he was alone. It seemed most of the kids took their time getting to Gym class, as the teacher wouldn't know when they actually arrived, since the locker rooms had their own entrance separate from the Gymnasium's main entrance. As Mark reached into the bag of clothes he'd brought with, his heart was filled with dread. He'd forgotten that it was a bad idea to let his stepmother do the shopping. A short while later he found himself frowning into the mirror, wearing a tank top style white shirt that exposed a sliver of his midriff. He could just barely see the outline of his sports bra in the reflection, which thankfully had a bit of padding so as not to blow his cover. Below the shirt he had on a pair of tight black lycra running shorts. The complete lack of a bulge in the shorts depressed him, but he quickly took his eyes away from his crotch. The other thing that bothered him was the way shorts made him look. "Do these make my butt look fat?" he said quietly, and then gasped in horror at what he'd said. Unfortunately, despite the mysterious weight loss, he still seemed to have disproportionately more fat in the area than in the rest of his body. To make matters worse, he realized that he hadn't shaved his face since coming to Canada, and that he still didn't really need to. Instead of the slightly thicker hairs that had just begun coming in, all the hairs that had recently sprouted were short and fine. True, he was naturally blonde, which might help explain why it was so unnoticeable, but the apparent absence still troubled him. Girls were starting to enter the room, so he quickly left out the door to the Gym and waited for class to begin. The last thing he needed was for one of them to catch him starring; he might look like a girl now, but he was still male on the inside. Kellie came out a few minutes later and he was relieved to see that she was wearing a similar outfit, as was half the class. Mark had been half worried that the outfit would be breaking school decency rules, but apparently it was standard issue for female exercise clothes. "Ready for tennis?" asked Kellie. They had been instructed to pair off and practice for the day, so the two walked over to the area where the equipment had been laid out. Mark grabbed two rackets and handed one to Kellie as the girl grabbed a ball. "Yeah, I guess. We never really played tennis back home, so I hope I don't embarrass myself too much." "I'm not too good, either," admitted Kellie. "Maybe by comparison against each other, we'll wind up looking better than we would have alone," said Mark. Kellie laughed. Mark played poorly at first since he was so uncomfortable in the clothes he was wearing. The tight shorts moved so much differently than anything he'd ever worn before. After a while though, Mark began to get into the game and forgot about his predicament. "You're not bad, Allison. This is kind of fun!" Mark agreed. He was actually starting to enjoy himself, until he caught one of the boys playing in the area next to him checking him out. He immediately blushed red and his game fell apart. Suddenly, tennis wasn't so much fun anymore. He tried to ignore it, but it was difficult. Now that he was aware of the first boy, it wasn't difficult to notice other boys doing the same thing. A pair even pretended to be heading for the water fountain just so they could take a glimpse at his ass. Not that there was anything for them to see in it, he thought to himself. Eventually, he saw that most of the pretty girls were getting the same attention, as he noticed boys taking discreet glances at girls all over the room. Blushing, he remembered how he'd been much the same way at his old school. Right then he vowed to be more respectful of women once he found his way back to normal. Finally, Mr. Walters told them to go hit the showers. He followed Kellie into the girl's locker room and then a thought hit him, causing him to panic. What would the other girls think once he removed his sports bra and stood before them, a flat-chested freak? Maybe he'd be able to face the other direction in the showers. To his relief, many of the girls skipped the showers and instead headed straight to their lockers. Apparently, even they were self-conscious amongst their peers, and they'd be able to shower alone in an hour once they got home. He quickly headed to his locker, and while the other girls weren't looking he quickly changed his bra. It was then that he realized that he'd been using the words "other girls" in his thoughts. It alarmed him how easily he'd unconsciously considered himself a girl. Still, as he slipped off his panties and glanced at the false slit between his legs, it was difficult to really consider himself anything but a girl. He quickly replaced his underwear, donned his jeans and T-shirt, and then quickly left the room. In any other circumstance he would have loved to have been in the girl's locker room, but things were different now. It wasn't as if he could do anything anyways, and the mild arousal he was feeling was negated by the pain shooting through his body as his organ unsuccessfully strained to escape a position it had never been intended to be in. He also felt slightly disgusted with his self due to his new revelations into the gauntlet of masculinity that the fairer sex was forced into running. Mark got finished changing before the bell for the next period rang, so he headed back into the Gym. He sat down alone on the bleachers and glanced at the clock. Five more minutes to burn, he thought to himself. He wasn't alone for long, as a pair of boys soon joined him. They were both tall and athletic looking, with dark hair. "Hello," said the taller of the two. "I'm Lance, and this is Paul." "Hi," replied Mark. What did they want? he thought to himself. The first boy, Lance, seemed to glance around awkwardly, until his friend nudged him. "Uh, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go see a movie some time?" That made Mark's blood run cold. He'd never considered that another boy would ask him out. In his mind, except when he allowed a slight concession while looking in the mirror, he appeared as a rather unattractive and bland looking girl. Unfortunately, in the real world he presented something very much in contrast to this self-image. "Uh, I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready to start dating yet," he said. The second boy opened his mouth wide in shock. "Are you joking? You just turned down a date with Lance Dupree! You don't get two shots at a stud like him!" "I-I'm sorry, I'm just not ready," he maintained. What was he supposed to say? That he had absolutely no interest in dating other boys? He desired a reputation as a lesbian just as much as the offered date. "Fucking tease!" hissed the first boy. "I saw you moving your ass on the court! And after the way you were dressed yesterday, what the hell did you expect? You know you want a piece of man-meat such as myself!" He took a step closer to Mark, causing him to flinch. Mark was feeling incredibly intimidated by the two boys, especially as they'd noticed him yesterday. He had a sudden and unwelcome urge to run off crying, but a voice came to his rescue. "Leave her alone!" The three students glanced over towards the direction of the girl's locker room, from where Kellie was quickly heading towards them. "Oh, no wonder!" sneered the second boy, Paul. "She's friends with the Injun bitch! Come on, Lance, let's leave these squaws to their powwow!" Laughing, the two boys walked off towards a group of students. "You okay, Allison?" asked Kellie. Mark nodded. "What was with those two? He wouldn't take no for an answer!" "They're a couple of white trash jackasses. Don't worry, pretty much everyone here is decent, but you do get a few bad apples in any school." Mark nodded, and wiped a stray tear from his eye. "What did they have against you? They hate you because you're a Native American?" Kellie nodded. "They hate any minority, but they really hate minorities that are better off than they are. They used to give me hell before my mom got her job here, but the principal really tore into them once then, and they've been kind of scared of me since. Of course, they still pull crap on me when I can't prove it's them." Mark frowned. "I'm sorry." "Not your fault. Mom pities them; she says they're just trying to prove that they're brave by secretly taking out their aggression on me, though it only proves what cowards they are. 'It's easy to be brave from a distance,' she once told me. It's an old Cree saying, I guess." Mark nodded. "Is that your tribe, the Cree?" "Yeah," she said. "I'm proud to be a full-blooded member of the Cree Nation." "That's cool," said Mark. "Yeah," said Kellie. "But hey, Allison, if those two ever bother you again, just let a teacher know or something." She laughed. "I'm just glad you had the taste to say no to them the first time; that must have really steamed him good! They're not really used to pretty girls turning them down!" I wish you'd stop complimenting me, thought Mark, it just makes me feel uncomfortable. Instead, he said, "Why not? You'd think most girls would have more sense than to go out with Neanderthals like those two!" "You'd be surprised what some girls would do for a chance to go out with a popular athlete. It's sickening, really." Just then, the bell rang. "I'd better get to class, talk to you later, Allison!" "See you then!" said Mark as he headed for study hall. Study hall went by quickly, and Mark then headed for the bus. Unfortunately, Kellie didn't show up, and Mark figured she'd gotten a ride with her mom. He rode the bus in silence and finally arrived home. When he opened the door, he found that his stepmother had something for him. "Hello, Allison," she said. "I felt kind if bad about how I'd been treating you, so I got a surprise for you." She led him out to the garage. Then he noticed soemthing in the corner, on the other side of the car. "A new bike?" he asked. "Yeah, I thought you might like it. You should be able to ride to the park on your own if you want, now," she said. Mark winced as he saw the bicycle. It was a nice gesture, but she seemed to have missed the entire point as was evident by the pink and white coloring on the mountain bike that stood before him. It was extremely feminine in appearance, complete with a pink helmet, and knee pads that he had no intention of using. "I appreciate the offer," he began, "but can't you get me something less... feminine?" She shook her head. "It was the only girl's bike they had." Of course, he thought bitterly. Otherwise, it would have had flowers and butterflies all over. "Do you like it?" He decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Yeah. Thanks," he said. She beamed. "If you want to head over to the park, feel free to. Supper won't be until seven anyhow." He nodded, and after dropping off his backpack inside, he rode off to find his friends. ***** Diane smiled. The bike had been an excellent idea, as it gave the girl more freedom while functioning as a strong reminder of her inherent femininity. She needed more reminders... maybe she could convince Allison to redecorate her room. Maybe a few posters of the Backstreet Boys or whoever it was that young girls like would lead her to start dating boys. Still, she frowned. She didn't really know what to do with her daughter. She was still too tomboyish for her tastes. Maybe Patty would have some ideas about what she could do to remedy this. Patty had been gone too long; since they'd come to the new house in Prince Albert, Patty had only been in and out a few times, sometimes only once a week or less. Still, as long as she left Diane's medicine, she was okay with it. The last thing she wanted was to be a bad mother to Allison, like she had before she'd met Patty in the clinic, and the medicine would keep her functioning normally. Thinking of Patty made her frown. Too bad she won't let me correct Allison's deformity yet, she thought. She keeps saying it's too soon, but she did say that it might be an option over Christmas break if Mark Sr. continued to insist that he was completely out of money. What a liar! she though. First he takes both of my daughters away from me, and then he denies me the money I so badly deserved! Well, there's no way I'm giving him his daughter back! Allison is MINE. It's only fitting that he should lose a daughter so that I may gain one. She thought back to the present. Maybe, she thought, I can get the girl to enter the winter play. If I can get her a kissing part, surely she'll give up on this tomboy nonsense! I'll have to check and see whether I can still have her enter, though it might be too late. She smiled. "If I can get her kissing boys," she said under her breath, "then Patty will HAVE to let me correct her deformity. Otherwise, what would they do after kissing, once she reaches a suitable age? I'll have to call Patty tonight. I won't have my daughter running around like some sort of mutant any longer than necessary!" With that thought, she smiled and then moved inside to begin cooking dinner. ***** The rest of the week went by fast for Mark, once he'd gotten used to things again. He excelled in all his classes, which wasn't surprising since he'd had much of the same material the year before. He also had begun to make more friends. He ate lunch with Kellie one day, and she was glad to introduce "Allison" to her table. Likewise, Michelle had also been glad to introduce Mark to her friends. Mark had a knack for making friends. it seemed, as he was soon alternating where he sat each day. Apparently, his status as a student from a foreign country (despite the fact that he was only from the US) had created additional interest in the new girl, as he soon found that most of the people in his grade knew his name by the end of the week, though it took him several before he was able to say the same of theirs. Unfortunately, with his newfound popularity came a number of date proposals. He tried to let them down as easy as he could, but he still found their interest appalling and slightly unnerving. After school, Mark continued to play with James and his group, though the weather had begun to limit the games they could play. He found a close kinship with Michelle, and he soon found that with Kellie he now had two extremely close friends. Unfortunately, the two girls were in different circles which meant that he had to choose between them at times. Still, this was a blessing in disguise, as it would likely prevent much of the fighting in teenaged girls that often times arose from temporarily growing sick of a person. Despite his closeness with the girl, it came as an unexpected surprise when he was invited to a sleepover party at Michelle's house. He had an idea as to what happened at those parties and wasn't very excited about attending. Unfortunately, he knew that the girl might be hurt if he declined without a good excuse, so he promised to come. Michelle was pleased, though uncomfortably, his stepmother was more so. "Oh, Allison, you're going to have such a good time!" said Diane as Mark was getting ready. "But you should wear one of the dresses I bought you instead of jeans! Mothers know about these things; you'll fit in a lot better if you do!" Mark ignored her, as he'd found was best to do when she got in these moods. She'd been pouting lately when he'd refused to join the school play, and he was starting to miss the silence already. He put a couple pairs of jeans, T-shirts, and some underwear into his backpack. Then, to get the woman to shut up again, he threw in a skirt. "I wish you'd let me give you a ride," said the woman. Mark had been planning on riding his bike to the party; it had turned out that Michelle's house was only a few blocks away from his. He shook his head. "No thanks, I'll be fine. See you some time Saturday, then." A large part of his refusal to accept her offer came out of a fear that she might embarrass him somehow while dropping him off. It also had finally made her stop pestering the boy about wearing a dress to the event; apparently it was notoriously difficult to bike in such garments.. A short ride later he was knocking at Michelle's front door. Her mom soon answered it and directed him up to Michelle's room. Michelle's mom was a tall blonde woman with a sincere smile, which made Mark feel right at home, which was more than he could say for his own stepmother lately. "Hey, Allison," said Michelle with a wave. She was sitting on her bed with three other girls. Nancy, who'd also been invited, greeted him as well. "Hi," said one of the girls that Mark hadn't yet met. She was a blonde girl with a slight accent. Mark later learned she was from Quebec. "I'm Eva." The other unknown girl flicked a strand of fiery red hair behind her ears. She held out her hand and introduced herself as Megan. "I'm Allison," said the boy. He'd introduced himself to dozens of people, and to his regret, the name was starting to come out easier. "It's nice to meet you two." Michelle stood up. "Now that Allison's here, you guys want to watch a movie? Mom just bought me 'The Princess of Chirome' and 'Invasion of the Gabber Robots.'" Unfortunately for Mark, the girls unanimously decided to watch the "The Princess of Chirome." It was a chick flick about a young tomboy princess that gets captured by a dragon and rescued by a handsome knight. The girls giggled and talked throughout the entire film, and their playful mood was contagious. Despite Mark's opinion of the "chick flick genre," he managed to enjoy the picture. After the movie, Michelle's mother served dinner. She'd made homemade lasagna, which tasted delicious. He'd rarely gotten such foods even before Diane had gone nuts the first time, since neither his father nor Diane had ever really had much cooking talent if the meal didn't emerge from a box. Michelle's mother's cooking was a welcome treat. Afterwards, just when Mark was feeling extremely content and satisfied, the girls decided it was time to do makeovers. Mark watched hesitantly as the girls started fussing over Megan, who'd been chosen to go first. He stood back, but after a short while he joined in the laughter and even made a few suggestions. After all, there was nothing wrong with a guy telling a girl how to look nicer. The girls pulled out pieces of clothing from their bags and Michelle took some articles from her closet and soon they'd pieced together an outfit for the girl, who soon modeled it for the group. Mark thought that she looked really nice. Megan was ecstatic. "Hey Allison, you want to go next?" asked Eva. Mark shook his head. "N-no, I'm okay. Someone else can go." "Come on, Allison! It'll be fun!" pressed Michelle. She'd come to accept her friend's shyness at times, and had realized that "she" sometimes needed a little coaxing. "N-n-no, I'm good. Why don't we do Eva instead?" he said, trying to deflect their attention away. Michelle didn't take the bait. "Come on, Allison! I promise it'll be fun. Your hair's about the same color as Megan's, and I thought of something that might work really good on you as we were fixing her up. Try it for me?" she pleaded. Mark sighed. He knew if he kept insisting that he didn't want to go that he'd get his way, but he knew that he'd offend his friend and would look bad to the other girls. "Oh, alright." Michelle beamed. "Thanks! You won't regret it!" She dug into her closet and pulled out a shirt. "Here, try this on first; I need to see if it'll fit you." "Okay," he said resignedly. "I'll be right back." He stood up and started heading towards the bathroom. Michelle looked at him quizzically. "Why the modesty? We're all girls here. You don't need to change in the other room." Defeated, mark removed his T-shirt. Unfortunately, his shirt took that moment to catch on the hook of his bra, causing it to fall off on one side. He quickly tried to cover himself, but it was too late. The girls had already seen, and his secret was out. He'd never live this down, and now his safety might be in jeopardy. He burst into tears. The other girls immediately rushed over. "It's okay, Allison," said Nancy. "We don't care that you wear a padded bra!" Michelle agreed. "Yeah, some girls just mature faster than others. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Realizing that his secret hadn't been blown, Mark began to calm down. Taking advantage of the misunderstanding, he said, "You mean you guys don't hate me?" The girls gave him reassuring smiles. "If we hated you for stuffing your bra, we wouldn't be very good friends, would we?" replied Michelle. Mark wiped his eyes, inwardly cursing himself for bursting into tears so easily. What was with him and his emotions lately? "Thanks for understanding," he said. "No problem!" said Eva. "Everyone's got something about their body they're not proud of. Personally, I hate my nose, and if I could do something like you, I would." Crisis resolved, the makeover continued. Mark found that the shirt was a little big on him, so Michelle gave him another outfit. It was a red dress. After their sympathy, Mark couldn't find it in his heart to ask to try something else. "It's got a built in bra, so you might as well remove the one you've got on now," pointed out Eva. Since they'd already seen his lack of breasts, he removed his bra with minimal hesitation. Michelle indicated the puffiness on his chest. "Oh, Allison, you've already got buds. I bet you'll have caught up to the rest of us in a couple months!" Breast buds? he thought to himself. Is that what those are? God, they'd better go away soon, I don't care if people see me or not. They sure as hell had better not get bigger! Still, he gave an uncomfortable smile and stepped into the dress. The girls then began working on his hair and makeup. A bit later, they were finished and they led him to a mirror. Eva offered him some tissue for the bra, which he inserted, praying that they'd leave him alone as far as his chest was concerned. Still, the dress didn't look right without the stuffing, he thought unhappily. Starring back at him was the girl he'd grown accustomed to seeing in the mirror, but this time she was absolutely stunning. They'd also had him wear a pair of pantyhose and two inch heels, adding to the effect. The girls had a much better knowledge of fashion and makeup than him or his stepmother, and due to their skill, his face had never looked more feminine. They'd gone with a red lipstick that was a shade or three darker than he'd have chosen to wear and they'd also added a bit of a curl to his hair. The dress also looked beautiful and seemed to draw even more attention to his face, as it matched the color of his red-dyed hair. The resulting image was of a girl that he would have loved to date. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who'd thought that. "Wow, Allison, you really look nice. You totally outclass me!" said the other redhead, though she was exaggerating a bit. While Mark would admit that he looked really nice, he was still just a boy in a dress and he couldn't really compete with any of the ladies present. Not that he wanted to, of course. Still, while he hated the clothes and how he looked, a part of him really enjoyed the friendship and attention. "No way, Megan, you're too hard on yourself. You look outstanding!" replied Mark. The girls then turned their attention to Nancy. Mark was able to ignore how he was dressed and was soon right in the mix with the other girls, working away at Nancy. Afterwards they did Eva and left Michelle for last. Once they'd all had a turn to be made up, they all stood together, laughing. "What a sight we are!" said Nancy. "Too bad there are no boys here; it feels kinda silly to be all dressed up with no one to show it to." Eva spoke up. "It's only nine, maybe we could walk down to the Dairy Queen!" The girls chorused their approval, and Mark shrugged. "When in Rome," he muttered to himself as he joined the girls as they told Michelle's mom their plan and headed out the door. As the girls came back from their outing, they were laughing continuously. "Did you see Aaron Crosby's eyes as we stepped in line?" asked Nancy. "They nearly burst out of his head!" "Yes! It was hysterical! He couldn't decide whether to ask us our phone numbers or run in complete terror!" said Michelle. Mark laughed. "But you should have seen that group of tenth graders. They couldn't take their eyes off of you, Michelle!" "Yes they could," put in Eva, "if only to glance at you and Nancy! I think you two redheads are too much; you two'll steal all the boys away from us blondes!" They continued talking like this for a few minutes, and then decided to get ready for bed. There were five sleeping bags with pillows spread out in the living room. They changed into their pajamas, turned off the lights, and then crawled into their bags. They were talking for ten minutes before the conversation inevitably turned to boys. Mark immediately withdrew back into his shell. "Who do you guys think is the cutest boy in our class?" asked Megan. Eva laughed. "That's a tough one!" She thought for a moment. "Maybe Lance Dupree?" Michelle shook her head in disgust. "No way, he's a jerk and he's so arrogant, too!" She laughed. "I think Ryan Dillon is the cutest!" "No, you're both wrong!" exclaimed Nancy. "The cutest boy would have to be Matt Robinson!" Megan giggled. "No way, Nance! Hands down, John Robinson!" Eva snorted. "Well, they're identical twins." Nancy laughed. "So? Matt's still cuter." Michelle glanced over at her silent friend. "How about you, Allison? Who do you think is the best looking?" You're not so bad, he thought, but didn't dare voice the thought. "Uh, I don't know. They're all pretty much the same to me." The girls laughed. "Oh, come on!" said Nancy. "There's got to be someone! If you had to pick one guy to be stranded on a desert island with, who would you pick?" His thoughts racing, he said the first name that came to his mind. "Uh, James, I guess." The girls giggled. "James Cartwright?" questioned Eva. "He's okay, I suppose." "Ooh," teased Michelle, "now we know why you've been turning down all those other boys! You've got a thing for little Jimmy!" "No I don't!" insisted Mark. "You just asked me to pick someone." Nancy smiled. "Of course, Allison." "Please don't tell him though, okay?" pleaded Mark. The other girls agreed, and after a while they changed the subject. They stayed up a few more hours and then finally fell asleep. It took Mark a little longer, as his mind wouldn't slow down from all the excitement and drama of the day, but eventually he too drifted off to sleep. The next day, Mark woke up and found that the girls were still sleeping. Michelle's mother, Mrs. Miller, had told the girls they were welcome to use the showers when they got up, so Mark headed for the downstairs shower carrying his backpack of clothes with him. He locked the door and stripped naked. Frowning, he glanced into the mirror, seeing nothing masculine present. He then glanced at the two protrusions that Michelle had called buds. His nipples were definitely darker, and the flesh behind them seemed even puffier than the last time he examined his chest. He immediately stepped into the shower and turned on the water to drown out the sound of his sobs. What was happening to him? He didn't see any reason that having his testicles cut off would result in his growing breasts. And then there were the mood swings and the out-of-control crying spells. He'd just taken one day at a time, but now, he was turning into a freak. During what day did that happen? He'd have to have a talk with his stepmother. She might be going crazy again, but maybe she'd be able to help him. She still cared, even if she needed more help than he did, he thought. He stepped out of the shower quietly and quickly got dressed. He didn't have time for makeup but he decided he didn't need it. His stepmother wasn't there to nag him, and he knew that even without makeup that no one would guess his real gender. By then, the girls were up. Eva was taking a shower upstairs, and the other three were chatting away. He took Nancy's place in the conversation as she headed for the empty shower and the girls continued until everyone was clean and dressed. Then, Mrs. Miller served pancakes and blueberry muffins for breakfast, and they dug in. Following breakfast, the girls chatted for two hours, until the party broke up and they all headed their separate ways. Mark, however, had nothing to do that day and Michelle was grateful for the company. They wound up fishing at the park, as the girl was also an avid angler. It had been unseasonably warm that year, as it still hadn't snowed and the river remained devoid of ice. "It's nice to meet another girl who likes to fish," said Michelle. "Yeah, it's fun to fish alone, but it's a lot better when you've got company." It was a relaxing cool down from the estrogen-driven event of the previous night. They fished in silence for a few minutes. "You know, if you'd like, I could set you up with James. I've known him since I was a little girl and we're pretty close." Mark shook his head. Oddly enough, he wasn't panicking and feeling sick at the mention of a date with a boy. It was probably the relaxed atmosphere and company of a good friend that calmed him, he thought. "No, that's okay. I'm just really not ready to start dating." He thought for a second. "I mean, I just turned thirteen, and I've got my whole life ahead of me for dating. There's no rush." Michelle smiled. "You've got a good attitude, Allison. I just wish more girls thought like you. There's so much pressure on us to start dating." Mark nodded. "Have you had any boyfriends?" Michelle shook her head. "A few, but nothing serious. I had one date about a month ago, but it didn't go anywhere and I haven't hooked up with anyone since. I guess I'm not in much of a rush, either. I'd like to find the right guy, first." They were quiet for a few moments. "If you're so close to James, why haven't you two gone out?" asked the boy. "I don't know." She closed her eyes for a second and looked down. "I guess he's more like a brother to me than anything else. And I wouldn't want to jeopardize our friendship; we go back too far for me to risk that over a silly date!" Mark nodded. "Thanks for inviting me to your party, Michelle. I had a good time," he said truthfully. "No problem, Allison. I'm glad you could make it. I've only known you for less than two weeks, but you're already one of my best friends." Mark smiled, and then casted his line again. "I feel the same way! Moving would have been so much harder if I hadn't made so many good friends so quickly." The reeled their lures in silence. "You know, Allison, if you did go out with James, he'd treat you good." Mark wished she'd drop it. But suddenly, "Hey, I've got one!" he said. Their conversation was forgotten as Mark fought the fish. By the time he had released the walleye, Michelle had forgotten what they were talking about and didn't question Mark any further on the subject. At least for that afternoon, he thought glumly, as he had a feeling that the girl wasn't quite ready to give up just yet. Mark and Michelle spent a few more hours fishing, and then they split up and went home. Mark spent the rest of the day at his house, doing homework and then playing his Nintendo. He'd meant to talk to his stepmother about the changes he'd been going through but it slipped his mind. Eventually, night had fallen and he drifted off to sleep. The next day Kellie called and asked if he wanted to go see a movie. Mark agreed, and they soon found themselves standing in line to see Rob Schneider in "The Stapler." It was, predictably, very stupid, but the two friends laughed and had a good time regardless. Afterwards, they pondered what to do. "So, what do you want to do now, Kellie?" he asked. She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we could go shopping?" Mark shook his head. "I don't have much money, and my "mom" bought me all new clothes when we got here." Kellie nodded. Then her eyes lit up. "You ever play Dance Dance Revolution?" she asked. "Never tried it." "Want to? There's an arcade not far from here," she suggested. "Okay, lead the way, then!" As they walked the two blocks to the arcade, they talked about the movie they'd just finished watching, and school, and soon the conversation turned to boys. Fortunately, before Mark got really uncomfortable, they'd arrived at the arcade. "Okay, how does this work?" asked Mark as they stood before a pair of machines. Kellie explained. "You just hit the marked spots on the floor as the arrows on the screen flash by. Here, I'll show you, and then we can try an easy one together, okay?" "Okay," he said. Kellie stepped forward and inserted some coins. Immediately some music began playing, and Kellie was moving all over the place as she hit the pad on the floor. Finally, a few minutes later, the song came to the end and it displayed her score. "Wow! That was really neat! You're good!" exclaimed Mark. Kellie just smiled. "Okay. Ready to try?" Mark nodded and stepped into the second pad on the machine. He inserted his coins and the game started up. At first, he was clumsy and slow, but he soon fell into the rhythm and after a minute had matched the pace of his friend. By the end of the song, he was starting to sweat but otherwise felt great. "Wow! Can we go again?" he asked. "Sure! You catch on fast!" remarked Kellie. "Let's try a harder song; you can probably handle one that's a bit faster." Kellie picked another song, and soon he was rapidly moving to the beat. He noticed a few people had gathered and were watching them, mostly teen boys, but he ignored them. He was having too much fun to feel self- conscious! After that song, they did another, and then another, increasing the difficulty as Mark improved. Soon, they were doing what Kellie called a "six step," and Mark's progress began to slow. They continued playing until all their money was gone. Exhausted, the two friends smiled and then collapsed in a booth nearby. "That was so much fun, we've got to do that again!" said Mark, sweat streaming down his face. "Yeah. But we'd better bring some workout clothes next time, I'm so soaked!" They both laughed. Afterwards, they decided that it was getting late. Kellie called her mom, and Mrs. Mukash offered to drive Mark home, who accepted. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Mukash!" said Mark. "Any time," replied the woman. "See you in class tomorrow, Allison!" Mark waved goodbye as he exited the car, and then he went inside to shower, taking care to remove all signs of the makeover that yet remained. Afterwards, he felt restless so he biked around the area until supper, and then played his Nintendo until bedtime. The next five days went by quickly. He had his first tests, one in History and another in Biology. He'd spent some time studying with Kellie and it seemed to have paid off for both of them as they both reported receiving high scores. Mark also had continued sports with James' group and went fishing again with Michelle, realizing that soon it would be too late in the season for fishing. He really enjoyed being around all the new friends he had met, and he grudgingly admitted that he enjoyed his life now more than ever. Still, he hated pretending to be a girl, and would break down in tears at least once each day. If only he could have friends like this and not have to dress like this, he moaned quietly. He'd remembered to ask his stepmother about the breast buds, but she'd been little help. She'd explained that it was a perfectly normal thing for teenage girls, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he wasn't by any means a teenage girl. When he finally managed to convince her that there was a problem, she agreed to call Dr. Sharpe. Of course, the doctor hadn't been much help, saying it was completely normal and would go away on its own, though it'd happen faster if he kept taking his pills. Dr. Sharpe had then agreed to up the dosage, and his stepmother had immediately gone to the pharmacy to pick up the new prescription. Still, he realized that he didn't trust either Dr. Sharpe or his stepmother, though he reluctantly admitted that he had no other choice. It was times like those where he missed his father the most. Ever since that first phone call, he'd been unable to talk to him. His stepmother had intercepted a letter that he'd written him and had immediately grounded him for jeopardizing their safety on a foolish desire. Still, he longed to hear from him; he knew that his father would have been able to think of something to protect him better than masquerading as a girl. Kellie had invited him to spend the night that Friday, and he had gladly accepted. She lived a bit south of Mark's house, just between the school and the Reservation. Their house was big, but not overly so; Kellie and her mother lived alone since her father had died when Kellie was just a baby. Losing a parent at an early age was one of many things that Mark had in common with the girl, though he knew he could probably never tell her about his real mother, as it would be a "terrible security hazard," in his stepmother's eyes. As if Kellie would immediately report that fact to the Mafia, he grumbled. Fortunately, aside from Mrs. Mukash, Kellie and Mark were the only "girls" present, which meant that he could be himself for the most part without worrying about girly things so much. Instead of makeovers and chick flicks, Mark and Kellie found themselves playing Dance Dance Revolution on Kellie's Playstation for most of the night. The next morning, after breakfast, they decided to go swimming in the pool in Kellie's backyard. Kellie loaned Mark a spare two piece. Normally, he would have felt uncomfortable climbing into the yellow garment, but he didn't have those problems today. Ever since the last weekend, he'd found that he'd lost much of his clothing-related inhibitions. Once he'd had a makeover, nothing else seemed quite so bad and that made things easier to deal with. And it wasn't like Kellie would be seeing anything she didn't already have. Besides, his lack of breasts hadn't worried the girls at the sleepover, and Kellie had since seen Mark naked during gym without considering him a freak. Still, he felt strange as Kellie had stood nude in front of him as they'd changed into the swimsuits. He'd noticed during the previous week that being in a locker room with a few dozen naked girls had mostly stopped having an effect on him. At first he'd been worried, but concern soon changed to relief, as erections had become incredibly painful ever since the cosmetic surgery to his groin. Sometimes it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that "gift" horse resulted in an emotional breakdown some hours later. Before he knew it, it was time to go home. The rest of the weekend went by without event. Before he knew it, he was racing through another school week followed by a short weekend that seemed to be over as soon as it had become. After that weekend, Monday turned into Friday before he'd even noticed it. That weekend Mark glanced at the calendar and saw that he'd been in Prince Albert for just over six weeks. His real birthday was in another ten days, which would mark the fourteenth year of his life. More than ever, he wanted to see his father. Still, despite the rapid flowing of time, Mark wasn't without his problems. It was almost as if he was living a double existence. On one hand, he was Allison, a shy but happy young girl with lots of friends. And then on the other, he was Mark, a lonely, miserable young man trapped without escape in an unending nightmare. He hated pretending to be female with all of his being, but he was determined to make the best of things, even if the concessions he was forced to make drove the trapped boy to tears. Since he was spending so much time sleeping at the houses of his friends, he felt a desire to reciprocate their offers. Unfortunately, his stepmother had refused to allow the girls to stay at their house, since his room was so "blah" in appearance. She'd offered to buy him some posters and pictures as well as some new drapes and bed sheets but he'd refused, knowing that she'd soon convert one of his last refuges into a stronghold of femininity. They'd spent many nights bickering over this, but neither side had been willing to cave. During the past week, Kellie had also been thrilled to point out a change in his chest size, to the boy's dismay. His breasts had continued growing, "making up for lost time," as Kellie had said. Had he not already been padding a standard bra, he would have started needing one at this point. He'd also begun to notice a change in his overall body shape. His hips had begun to flare out slightly, which was in contrast to a slight but noticeable indentation in his waist. Despite all the exercise he'd been getting from his bike and the arcade, he'd been surprised to notice that he'd still gained a pound, all of it (and then some, he muttered) going to his hips and butt. He'd finally managed to convince his stepmother to make a doctor's appointment for him, to stop and hopefully reverse these changes, though that wasn't until next Friday after school, on the fourteenth. He resolved to put those changes out of his mind until then. They were just too stressful to think about, and it wasn't as if he could do anything about it before then. Mark stepped out of the car. "Have fun, Allison!" said his stepmother. "Yeah, thanks for the ride," he called out as she drove away. He started walking to the door. Boy was it ever cold, he thought to himself. The warm weather they'd been getting had ended and winter had struck with a vengeance. Mark quickly zipped his pink and white jacket up, frowning at the object that his stepmother had bought for him. When would she learn that he hated the color pink? He opened the door and stepped inside, quickly scanning the crowd for his friends. Michelle had asked if he wanted to go to the movies with her and James earlier that week, and he'd accepted. Spotting James in the crowd in his black jacket, Mark walked over towards him. "Hello, James.